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49ers’ Former 1st-round Pick Ricky Pearsall’s Season Is Officially Over

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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 27: Ricky Pearsall #1 of the San Francisco 49ers works out during training camp practice at SAP Performance Facility on July 27, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said that the team is placing wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on the season-ending Injured Reserve. Pearsall will have surgery on his PCL, and the recovery time is anywhere from 6 to 12 months.

As Matt Maiocco pointed out a couple of days ago, the 49ers were hopeful that Pearsall’s PCL injury would heal on its own. Unfortunately, it only took a few practices for the team to realize that wasn’t the case.

It would have been a nagging injury throughout the season, leaving the team no choice but to pull the plug on the 2026 season. Pearsall is expected to recover in time for the 2027 season.

The good news is that Pearsall turns 26 in September and has plenty of football left. The bad news is he has suffered some type of injury that will now have sidelined him in each of his first three seasons. Pearsall, a former 1st-round pick, was incredible for the first month of 2025. But that PCL injury clearly zapped some of the juice he had, as he didn’t have another 100-yard game in the final five games he played in.

The corresponding move was to sign Deebo Samuel to a one-year deal officially. There are still no specifics about the incentives in Samuel’s contract.

Lynch said the team had been in contact with Samuel for about a month. The 49ers were hoping Deebo and Pearsall would be on the field together, but now a role opens for Samuel.